In my collection, I, have four Japanese training rifles. three are Arisaka type 38 and one
Meiji type 30 model 1897 Two are firing type and two are non firing type.
Photos and info, from the top down. group / part one, two rifles.
Type 38 firing type cal 6,5 Bolt is regular type. receiver top is factory
plain, no markings. Receiver is grooved, for bolt cover. No mag spring or
floor plate. serial # 1523.

Type 38 non firing type, bolt has weird oval cut out and has a long lug.
Receiver top is factory plain, No markings. receiver is grooved for bolt
cover.has no mag spring or floor plate. serial # 55748

Supplement Japanese training rifle photos. From the top down group /part two. Two rifles.
Type 38 non firing. bolt top has a long slot and bolt movement is restricted, to up and
down only. receiver top is marked with a large star.Receiver is grooved for bolt cover.
weird, this rifle has both mag spring and floor plate intact. serial # G 543.

I have a type 38 non firing trainer with a training bayonet. Other then the solid bore. 00 serial number and one piece stock my trainer looks like the real thing? The bayonet on the other hand it crudely made of flimsy steel with a rounded edge.

I just got a training rifle myself today. A type 38 training rifle serial number 1285 with the manufacturer's mark on top of the receiver. It has all the normal characteristics of being a trainer: smoothbore, one piece stock, no type designation on the receiver, etc.

In checking out my rifles, I, would point out, ALL have one piece stocks. The stocks are factory type
smooth with NO markings. The non firing rifles, have smooth bores. The firing rifles have rifled bores.
On the rifles with the large star and the strange flower. I, am looking for help,on a web site, for Jap
receiver markings.and would the site inc trainer rifle markings?
Word, has it, some Jap trainers, firing type , were able to fire blanks and some had thin curtain rod
type barrels. Is it true, some were made to fire similar type kids cap gun type caps?
Comments
Roy

Now this is weird. In putting, my training rifles away, on rifle racks, I could not help continually noticing
All the type 38 rifles had receiver grooves. This bugged me, then I, remembered, I, had a Jap bolt cover
in my parts box, that would not fit the military type 38 or 99. I, had this cover for years, it was just to small
in width. Curiousity getting the best of me, I, tried this smaller bolt cover on the type 38 training rifle
receivers. And guess what, it fits all the training rifle grooves. To end this means, training rifles simply
have smaller size receivers.
Again comments
Roy